Wireless networks can communicate with mobile devices, such as mobile phones, using data packets. For example, a wireless network can receive a data packet from a mobile device and route the data packet through a private networking infrastructure of the wireless network to a destination specified in the data packet. The destination can be internal or external to the private networking infrastructure. For example, the destination can be a location on an external network, such as the Internet. Routing data packets to and from an external network can allow for various mobile features, such as mobile web browsing, to be implemented.
Wireless networks can use one or more packet-based services, such as the general packet radio service (GPRS), to route data packets to their destinations. These packet-based services can use a series of nodes to transmit data packets through a wireless network. For example, a GPRS-based wireless network can include a packet service support node and a gateway support node. The packet service support node can receive data packets from a mobile device, process them, and transmit them to the gateway support node. The gateway support node can receive the data packets, further process them, and forward them to a destination on an external network. But such nodes typically include electronic devices that are specially configured with particular hardware and software for performing specific functions, such as creating, receiving, or transmitting data packets, within the wireless network.